Who built the mysterious spiral staircase in the little chapel at Loretto Inn in Santa Fe, New Mexico? Was it a master craftsman or the work of good St. Joseph? Archbishop John B. Lamy had the chapel, patterned after the Sainte-Chapelle of Paris, built for the Sisters of Loretto and the young ladies of the academy. When the school closed after more than a century of outstanding service, the site was sold. Old and new owners agreed that the chapel, and the famous staircase, must be preserved for its beauty and peace—now and in the future.

Alice Bullock explored “the Land of Enchantment” in depth, ferreting out the legends and folklore of New Mexico. She spent almost three years collecting these stories, recording and thus saving many of them for posterity. An “almost-native” New Mexican (she arrived in the area at age eight) Alice grew up in Gardiner and graduated from Colfax County High School in Raton. She became a country school teacher and then a reporter and freelance writer. She is also the author of Living Legends of the Santa Fe Country, Mountain Villages of New Mexico, and Monumental Ghosts, all from Sunstone Press.